Frustrations continue with hours-long delays as Edmonds-Kingston ferry undergoes repairs

EDMONDS, Wash. — The Edmonds-Kingston route has one less ferry, and that means more backups and headaches.

The ferry Spokane went out of service Wednesday morning with a mechanical issue that requires repairs. It remains out of service Thursday, leaving the route with one boat.

Because of that, the route is on an alternate sailing schedule.

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With the boat out of commission, the frustration people experienced for five days when vehicles were banned from the Seattle-Bainbridge run during a walkway project continues.

Though cars are allowed on that run again, the problems have shifted to Edmonds, where there were wait times of up to three hours on Wednesday, and cars were already lining up on Thursday.

The delays aren’t only in Edmonds. As of 6 a.m., the wait time at the Kingston terminal was an hour.

Edmonds resident John Scheuerman realizes if it’s not one problem on the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, it’s another.

“If a boat (doesn’t) go down it seems like there’s staffing issues,” he said. “Only one boat going back and forth to Kingston today, so it’s going to be kind of a nightmare.”

As ferry riders try to cope with traffic in Edmonds, Scheuerman says he has a solution to avoid any hassles.

“I think I’ll chill close to Edmonds,” he said.

The issue comes almost five months after the ferry Walla Walla ran aground near Bainbridge Island with nearly 600 passengers on board.

The Walla Walla was heading from Bremerton to Seattle on Apr. 15 when it lost power. Investigators said contaminated fuel caused a generator to fail.

The ferry didn’t return to service until early May.

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